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The beautiful, happy faces in this picture belong to students from Sanchez Elementary School experiencing a day on Lady Bird Lake during a Texas River School canoe trip. (For non-Austinites, Lady Bird Lake is a beautiful section of the Colorado River that runs through downtown Austin.) And because Texas River School has worked with Sanchez Elementary for so many years, taking their 4th and 5th graders on the water, we have developed a close relationship with this community of families and wish to offer a helping hand to alleviate their food insecurities during the current pandemic.
Who Will Benefit
These are crazy, chaotic and uncertain times to be sure, and while I can say that my family has not been terribly stressed or inconvenienced during this pandemic, I know that Sanchez families cannot say the same. Upon learning from the Sanchez 5th grade teacher that many families in their community are dealing with lost jobs, food insecurity and mounting bills, we felt compelled to help our friends get through this tough time. It is through our association with Texas River School and Sanchez's long time connection with Texas River School that we feel a vested interest in helping these families. And, we just learned that Metz Elementary will merge into Sanchez Elementary, which will widen our scope of families we must help.
Who 'We' Are
Hi, my name is Linda Overton and I’m married to Joe Kendall, founder of Texas River School (TRS), a non-profit dedicated to increasing equitable access to nature for Austin youth. Joe founded the River School in 1992 to share his love and knowledge of rivers by combining outdoor education and canoeing skills with fun and healthy nutritional reinforcement. TRS strives to connect children with nature and abide by the motto of Helping to Keep our Kids and Rivers Healthy.
The Backstory
TRS has been partnering with Sanchez Elementary for over two decades making them our longest, most consistent supporter, starting with former principal Mr. Ed Leo, who recently passed. Thankfully, the principal and her 5th grade teachers, kept Sanchez students connected to TRS after Ed retired several years ago. Together we have coordinated river trips to give hundreds of students the awesome opportunity to experience nature from a different vantage point - in a canoe, on the river, and now Metz students will have more of these opportunities too.
Why These Kids and Their Families are Important to Us
As you can see, community means a lot to us and to TRS. We go the distance to teach our students basic water skills, how to get in and out of a canoe or kayak, how to do a J-stroke, how to learn good leadership and communication skills, how to cooperate with each other to make group decisions, and how to manage their fears of the unknown, but it’s times like these that we must go the extra mile for those in need. Community helping community is another life lesson for growing and maturing into strong, happy, compassionate members of society. Learning by doing and learning by example. That’s a good chunk of what community is all about, teaching our youth to become contributing members of their communities.
I can say that my life has been enriched by the collaborative partnerships of these communities, but wait till you read the comments below that come from students in the form of letters of appreciation after a trip; it's so rewarding. Let me share with you some of their comments:
"Thank you for helping me learn how to use the paddles and to use the kayak."
"Gracias por ayudarnos a Emily y a mi a mantenernos derechas y no dar vueltas en kanoa! Gracias!"
"Thank you for teaching us how to take awesome pictures and paddle for a kayaking this was really fun also I loved going to get in the water so I loved this field trip."
"I hope that I will be able to visit you again and again thank you for everything."
"I had so much fun and I would love to come and visit again. Thank you so much!"
"The most important thing is that when we were on the kayak you were there and asked if we were fine. Thank you all for inviting, you're the best."
And this is what 5th grade teacher, Ms. Messenger wrote about the TRS experience:
"Canoe and kayak adventures with Texas River School are fun and educational experiences for our 5th graders. They learn about teamwork and experience Austin's natural environment in a way most of them never have before. The students come away excited, talking about the beauty of nature, the challenges of learning a new skill, and how to work as a team. Students even connect the calm they feel on the water with mindfulness activities we have done in class. At the end of each year our students mention canoeing and kayaking as some of their favorite memories of 5th grade. We are so grateful to Texas River School for arranging these lovely trips for our students. We hope to be out on the water with them again soon!"
How You Can Help
Of course, that was how it was before Covid-19, but we're looking forward to getting students back on the water for fun, adventure and education, hopefully in the fall. Until then, we will practice the TRS motto of 'helping to keep our kids healthy.' And this is where you come in. Our goal is to present at least 40 families, some with 3-4 children, with $100-$200 gift cards to Austin's beloved H.E.B. grocers.
The Team
I am thrilled to team up with my husband Joe Kendall, Principal Mrs. Azucena Garcia, 5th grade teacher Ms. Ellen Messenger, and another 5th grade teacher who wishes to remain anonymous yet was a recipient of our 2020 Texas River School Hall of Fame Award for her endless help in getting students on the river, and school counselors to help with the allocation of funds.
Bonus!
This fundraiser will run until the end of July, and to make it a little more compelling, Joe & I will match up to $1000 of your donations. We believe a little help from their friends will make a difference, so we're asking for a little help from our friends. Come on folks! Give us a run for our money!
Thank you so much in advance for your caring generosity.
Who Will Benefit
These are crazy, chaotic and uncertain times to be sure, and while I can say that my family has not been terribly stressed or inconvenienced during this pandemic, I know that Sanchez families cannot say the same. Upon learning from the Sanchez 5th grade teacher that many families in their community are dealing with lost jobs, food insecurity and mounting bills, we felt compelled to help our friends get through this tough time. It is through our association with Texas River School and Sanchez's long time connection with Texas River School that we feel a vested interest in helping these families. And, we just learned that Metz Elementary will merge into Sanchez Elementary, which will widen our scope of families we must help.
Who 'We' Are
Hi, my name is Linda Overton and I’m married to Joe Kendall, founder of Texas River School (TRS), a non-profit dedicated to increasing equitable access to nature for Austin youth. Joe founded the River School in 1992 to share his love and knowledge of rivers by combining outdoor education and canoeing skills with fun and healthy nutritional reinforcement. TRS strives to connect children with nature and abide by the motto of Helping to Keep our Kids and Rivers Healthy.
The Backstory
TRS has been partnering with Sanchez Elementary for over two decades making them our longest, most consistent supporter, starting with former principal Mr. Ed Leo, who recently passed. Thankfully, the principal and her 5th grade teachers, kept Sanchez students connected to TRS after Ed retired several years ago. Together we have coordinated river trips to give hundreds of students the awesome opportunity to experience nature from a different vantage point - in a canoe, on the river, and now Metz students will have more of these opportunities too.
Why These Kids and Their Families are Important to Us
As you can see, community means a lot to us and to TRS. We go the distance to teach our students basic water skills, how to get in and out of a canoe or kayak, how to do a J-stroke, how to learn good leadership and communication skills, how to cooperate with each other to make group decisions, and how to manage their fears of the unknown, but it’s times like these that we must go the extra mile for those in need. Community helping community is another life lesson for growing and maturing into strong, happy, compassionate members of society. Learning by doing and learning by example. That’s a good chunk of what community is all about, teaching our youth to become contributing members of their communities.
I can say that my life has been enriched by the collaborative partnerships of these communities, but wait till you read the comments below that come from students in the form of letters of appreciation after a trip; it's so rewarding. Let me share with you some of their comments:
"Thank you for helping me learn how to use the paddles and to use the kayak."
"Gracias por ayudarnos a Emily y a mi a mantenernos derechas y no dar vueltas en kanoa! Gracias!"
"Thank you for teaching us how to take awesome pictures and paddle for a kayaking this was really fun also I loved going to get in the water so I loved this field trip."
"I hope that I will be able to visit you again and again thank you for everything."
"I had so much fun and I would love to come and visit again. Thank you so much!"
"The most important thing is that when we were on the kayak you were there and asked if we were fine. Thank you all for inviting, you're the best."
And this is what 5th grade teacher, Ms. Messenger wrote about the TRS experience:
"Canoe and kayak adventures with Texas River School are fun and educational experiences for our 5th graders. They learn about teamwork and experience Austin's natural environment in a way most of them never have before. The students come away excited, talking about the beauty of nature, the challenges of learning a new skill, and how to work as a team. Students even connect the calm they feel on the water with mindfulness activities we have done in class. At the end of each year our students mention canoeing and kayaking as some of their favorite memories of 5th grade. We are so grateful to Texas River School for arranging these lovely trips for our students. We hope to be out on the water with them again soon!"
How You Can Help
Of course, that was how it was before Covid-19, but we're looking forward to getting students back on the water for fun, adventure and education, hopefully in the fall. Until then, we will practice the TRS motto of 'helping to keep our kids healthy.' And this is where you come in. Our goal is to present at least 40 families, some with 3-4 children, with $100-$200 gift cards to Austin's beloved H.E.B. grocers.
The Team
I am thrilled to team up with my husband Joe Kendall, Principal Mrs. Azucena Garcia, 5th grade teacher Ms. Ellen Messenger, and another 5th grade teacher who wishes to remain anonymous yet was a recipient of our 2020 Texas River School Hall of Fame Award for her endless help in getting students on the river, and school counselors to help with the allocation of funds.
Bonus!
This fundraiser will run until the end of July, and to make it a little more compelling, Joe & I will match up to $1000 of your donations. We believe a little help from their friends will make a difference, so we're asking for a little help from our friends. Come on folks! Give us a run for our money!
Thank you so much in advance for your caring generosity.